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1
Deuchar, Annelize. "Opportunities for the development of critical thinking skills in the mathematics classroom / Annalize Deuchar." Thesis, North-West University, 2010. http://hdl.handle.net/10394/4823.
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The nurturing of critical thinking skills is one of the cornerstones of Outcomes Based Education (OBE). This study investigated to what extent teachers provide opportunities for the development of critical thinking skills in Grade 8 in Mathematics classrooms. A literature study was undertaken to highlight the importance and nature of the development of critical thinking skills in the Mathematics classroom, and to establish how critical thinking could be nurtured during the teaching, learning and assessment of Mathematics. Various teaching methods and assessment strategies, types of learning material, a variety of classroom activities and how to create a classroom conducive to the development of critical thinking skills were explored. The literature review provided the framework to design a questionnaire that was utilized to obtain the perceptions of Grade 8 Mathematics teachers and learners regarding the opportunities provided for the development of critical thinking skills in Mathematics classrooms. By means of quantitative, non-experimental descriptive research, the self constructed, closed-ended questionnaire was administered to a convenient sample of a purposively selected group of Mathematics teachers (n = 92) and learners (n = 204) in the Ekurhuleni District of Gauteng, South Africa. The triangulation of learner and teacher data revealed that teachers do have an understanding of the importance of critical thinking in the Mathematics classroom, but that their understanding is not always fully translated into practical opportunities for the development of critical thinking skills. It was revealed that teachers do make use of questioning and allow learners to communicate during problem-solving, which are important strategies for the development of critical thinking. However, it was evident that teachers appear to be inhibiting the development of critical thinking skills by relying heavily on the use of textbooks and transmission of knowledge during teaching, and seem not to acknowledge the merits of cooperative learning and real life experiences during the teaching and learning of Mathematics. The study is concluded with recommendations on how to nurture and improve critical thinking in the Mathematics classroom.Thesis (M.Ed. (Learning and Teaching)--North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2010.
2
Öhman, Lisa. "The Importance of Educating Girls : A critical discourse analysis of western development approaches to girls’ education." Thesis, Uppsala universitet, Statsvetenskapliga institutionen, 2017. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-312903.
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Hatcher, Abigail M. "Evaluating the role of 'critical consciousness' in a rural South African development intervention : implications for structural approaches to HIV prevention." Master's thesis, University of Cape Town, 2006. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/10601.
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Includes bibliographical references (p. 90-93).Traditional, information-giving approaches to HIV prevention have failed to curb the rapidly expanding HIV/AIDS epidemic in South Africa. Scholars and practitioners have looked to new interventions for HIV which centre upon structural changes, or the broader societal forces which shape HIV vulnerability. In recent years, Paulo Freire's notion of 'critical consciousness' has been cited as a way to involve communities in critical analysis and social change for HIV prevention. However, increasing calls for critical consciousness within HIV literature fail to recognise the complexities of integrating the notion at the ground-level. The Intervention with Microfinance for AIDS and Gender Equality (IMAGE) is a South African structural intervention for HIV which has been guided by critical consciousness. IMAGE aims to impact on poverty and gender-based violence by partnering a participatory gender curriculum with group-based microfinance. The research examines how IMAGE has translated the notion of critical consciousness into distinct processes, and evaluates the implementation of these processes by drawing from qualitative research with programme planners, facilitators and participants.
4
Hovden, Eivind. "The problem of anthropocentrism : a critique of institutionalist, Marxist and reflective international relations theoretical approaches to environment and development." Thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science (University of London), 1998. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.245219.
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Koernig, Frida. "Reconsidering Participation : A Critical Review of Integrated Approaches in the Management of Water Resources and Contaminated Drinking Water." Thesis, Uppsala universitet, Statsvetenskapliga institutionen, 2016. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-273968.
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Participation is often seen as fundamental in development studies and for development projects. There are also critical ideas claiming that there are power relations which should be taken into account before embracing participation as good in itself. From the basis of the critical ideas found in the book Participation: The New Tyranny? this paper examines the cases of ‘Integrated Water Resources Management’ and ‘Integrated Approach for Mitigation of Arsenic Contamination of Drinking Water in Bangladesh’ in order to determine whether the critical ideas in the book are applicable when analysing texts about these cases. After determining that there are indications of power imbalances between the facilitators and the local population in the two cases, this paper finally argues that the critical ideas are applicable and that there is a need for more and broader discussions and dialogues between various actors involved in development projects. Also mentioned in this paper is the importance of raising awareness of power relations and incorporating different views when planning and implementing development projects.
6
Simpson, Elaine. "The development of critical thinking in Saudi nurses : an ethnographical approach." Thesis, Queensland University of Technology, 2002. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/15868/1/Elaine_Simpson_Thesis.pdf.
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Introduction
Saudi Arabia is the largest country in the Middle East occupying the majority of the Arabia Peninsula. In 1934 the exploration of oil propelled this country from one of the poorest to one of the highest in per capita income. Islamic law forms the basis of Saudi Arabia's constitution, its civil and penal codes and guides the Saudis in their daily and family lifestyles, governing morals, dress, eating habits and business dealings. Between 1970 and 1980, there was a sharp increase in the rate of population. Currently the population is estimated at 20.8 million with a projected increase to 44.8 million by the year 2025, with approximately 49% under the age of 20. This rise in population has implications for the health care industry, of which expatriates make up more that 85% of the country's health care system.
Purpose
The purpose of the study was to examine the social and cultural experiences associated with living and working as a registered nurse in a major teaching hospital in Saudi Arabia and to identify and understand how to develop critical thinking skills in Saudi nurses during a nursing education/intervention program in Saudi Arabia.
Methodology
The researcher reviewed the literature on critical thinking, which allowed the construction of a conceptual model (Appendix 1) to guide teaching and evaluation of critical thinking skills and maintained the focus on dialogue to stimulate interaction and participation in order to promote critical thinking abilities in Saudi nurses. This study adopted ethnography as a methodology and utilised Spradley's (1979)ethnographic research cyclical tasks for data collection and analysis, which are explained in the exploratory, descriptive and explanatory phases of the research. The researcher was a participant observer and collected ethnographic data in the social situation. A variety of data collection methods were employed, which included observation of students and clinical instructors, evaluation of clinical instructors teaching techniques in utilising critical thinking strategies, evaluation of students' responses in the use of critical thinking strategies, focus group interviews of students and clinical instructors and informal interviews conducted within the hospital setting with relevant informants. The use of multi-methods provided the opportunity to examine more fully the richness and complexities of the culture, by gathering data from various sources to validate the consistency of information to reflect the multiple realities of this cultural group. Cultural domains were identified after examining field notes and interviews for terms and clues repeatedly verbalised by informants, in particular students. The researcher organised the domains to formulate taxonomies, leading to cultural themes, which are answered within the research questions in Chapter 8. The research questions for this study are as follows:
Research questions
1. What are the issues related to the implementation of critical thinking in a Professional Development Program to improve critical thinking in Saudi nurses?
2. What major elements are involved in creating and sustaining the Saudi Arabian nursing profession?
3. How might Saudi culture be used to support the development of professional nursing identity?
Implications for the study
This study has the potential to make a significant contribution to nursing education in Saudi Arabia in promoting critical thinking in nurses and in curriculum development for the following reasons. First, didactic instruction was replaced with an interactive approach by utilising critical thinking strategies and devices to facilitate the development of critical thinking abilities. Second, working with a conceptual framework or model made it easier to manage complex multifaceted concepts, such as critical thinking. The model maintained the focus on dialogue and experiential learning thereby assisting students and staff to integrate theory and practice. This model was effective for the program and if duplicated by other programs, could create a learning environment that would allow the effective development and evaluation of critical thinking. The model is reflected in Appendix 1.
Recommendations for the nursing profession in Saudi Arabia
* To establish the Nursing Practice Act which subsequently leads to the formation of a National Nursing Registration Board.
* To transfer nursing into the higher education sectors, to be on par with their Western counterparts. To foster career incentives for men to meet the cultural needs of the people, increase Saudi nurses in the workforce and to raise the image of nursing.
* To enact Saudiisation policy.
* To incorporate Islamic nursing history into diploma nursing and other nursing educational programs and implemented into the workplace, government policy and the media.
* To construct separate male and female hospitals to solve the gender issues.
* To systematically collect, collate and analyse nursing data.
* To develop continuing education programs to meet educational needs of nurses.
7
Braga, Denise Bertoli. "Critical reading : a socio-cognitive approach to selective focus in reading." Thesis, University College London (University of London), 1990. http://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/10018449/.
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This research discusses selective focus in reading a text in relation to the philosophical guidelines of critical education. To pursue this question a model for critical reading is initially sketched, and the literature on selective focus in text reading is reviewed. The existing literature analyses selective focus under the framework of two perspectives: reader-based and text-based. This thesis proposes a third possibility: a social-based perspective. A socio-cognitive conception of selective focus is delineated on the basis of theories that explore the effect of social factors on literacy, language use, and higher cognitive processes. The issues raised at the theoretical level are also investigated in an empirical study. Expert reader's insights about their own reading practices are taken into consideration. Three studies are reported. Two exploratory studies - designed to refine methodological procedures - analyse the response of two groups of four readers. The interview questionnaire that guides the main data collection is based on the results obtained in these initial investigations. The main study considers the data provided by fifteen structured interviews. The sample include readers from three type of course in higher education: initial teacher training for pos-graduate students, master degree students, and doctoral students. A qualitative analysis describes in detail how reader-based, text-based and social-based factors interact within the context of these readers' reading practices. Considering the empirical evidence, the thesis proposes that neither the reader nor the text should be investigated without an appreciation of the social context. However, socio-cultural context is shown not only to provide a further set of variables but also to permeate the development of text-based and reader-based factors. This has important theoretical and educational implications. The final argument of this study is that classroom practices that aim to promote critical reading should give a proper emphasis to the socio-cultural aspect of selective focus.
8
Coombes, Andrew Charles. "A pragmatic approach to the formal development of safety-critical systems." Thesis, University of York, 1994. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.259882.
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9
Simpson, Elaine. "The development of critical thinking in saudi nurses: an ethnographical approach." Queensland University of Technology, 2002. http://eprints.qut.edu.au/15868/.
Full textAbstract:
Introduction
Saudi Arabia is the largest country in the Middle East occupying the majority of the Arabia Peninsula. In 1934 the exploration of oil propelled this country from one of the poorest to one of the highest in per capita income. Islamic law forms the basis of Saudi Arabia's constitution, its civil and penal codes and guides the Saudis in their daily and family lifestyles, governing morals, dress, eating habits and business dealings. Between 1970 and 1980, there was a sharp increase in the rate of population. Currently the population is estimated at 20.8 million with a projected increase to 44.8 million by the year 2025, with approximately 49% under the age of 20. This rise in population has implications for the health care industry, of which expatriates make up more that 85% of the country's health care system.
Purpose
The purpose of the study was to examine the social and cultural experiences associated with living and working as a registered nurse in a major teaching hospital in Saudi Arabia and to identify and understand how to develop critical thinking skills in Saudi nurses during a nursing education/intervention program in Saudi Arabia.
Methodology
The researcher reviewed the literature on critical thinking, which allowed the construction of a conceptual model (Appendix 1) to guide teaching and evaluation of critical thinking skills and maintained the focus on dialogue to stimulate interaction and participation in order to promote critical thinking abilities in Saudi nurses. This study adopted ethnography as a methodology and utilised Spradley's (1979)ethnographic research cyclical tasks for data collection and analysis, which are explained in the exploratory, descriptive and explanatory phases of the research. The researcher was a participant observer and collected ethnographic data in the social situation. A variety of data collection methods were employed, which included observation of students and clinical instructors, evaluation of clinical instructors teaching techniques in utilising critical thinking strategies, evaluation of students' responses in the use of critical thinking strategies, focus group interviews of students and clinical instructors and informal interviews conducted within the hospital setting with relevant informants. The use of multi-methods provided the opportunity to examine more fully the richness and complexities of the culture, by gathering data from various sources to validate the consistency of information to reflect the multiple realities of this cultural group. Cultural domains were identified after examining field notes and interviews for terms and clues repeatedly verbalised by informants, in particular students. The researcher organised the domains to formulate taxonomies, leading to cultural themes, which are answered within the research questions in Chapter 8. The research questions for this study are as follows:
Research questions
1. What are the issues related to the implementation of critical thinking in a Professional Development Program to improve critical thinking in Saudi nurses?
2. What major elements are involved in creating and sustaining the Saudi Arabian nursing profession?
3. How might Saudi culture be used to support the development of professional nursing identity?
Implications for the study
This study has the potential to make a significant contribution to nursing education in Saudi Arabia in promoting critical thinking in nurses and in curriculum development for the following reasons. First, didactic instruction was replaced with an interactive approach by utilising critical thinking strategies and devices to facilitate the development of critical thinking abilities. Second, working with a conceptual framework or model made it easier to manage complex multifaceted concepts, such as critical thinking. The model maintained the focus on dialogue and experiential learning thereby assisting students and staff to integrate theory and practice. This model was effective for the program and if duplicated by other programs, could create a learning environment that would allow the effective development and evaluation of critical thinking. The model is reflected in Appendix 1.
Recommendations for the nursing profession in Saudi Arabia
* To establish the Nursing Practice Act which subsequently leads to the formation of a National Nursing Registration Board.
* To transfer nursing into the higher education sectors, to be on par with their Western counterparts. To foster career incentives for men to meet the cultural needs of the people, increase Saudi nurses in the workforce and to raise the image of nursing.
* To enact Saudiisation policy.
* To incorporate Islamic nursing history into diploma nursing and other nursing educational programs and implemented into the workplace, government policy and the media.
* To construct separate male and female hospitals to solve the gender issues.
* To systematically collect, collate and analyse nursing data.
* To develop continuing education programs to meet educational needs of nurses.
10
Stigendal, Mikael, and Andreas Novy. "A critical realist knowledge production: Enhancing a Potential-oriented Approach." WU Vienna University of Economics and Business, 2018. http://epub.wu.ac.at/6433/1/sre%2Ddisc%2D2018_06.pdf.
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This article explores the implications of founding transdisciplinary collaborations
of knowledge production in critical realism. We call such equal partnerships of
researchers and practitioners knowledge alliances. Using the distinction between
the referents that we refer to (what our research is about) and our references (our
research about that), we show that practitioners can contribute to the process of
knowledge production by providing access to referents and producing references
but also by achieving relevance. Researchers and practitioners bring different types
of knowledge. To become excellent, knowledge production should be organized in
ways, which engage these different types in a constructive interplay. We call this
approach potential-oriented, which we put in contrast to the empiricism of
evidence-based research and policy-making. Our deliberate choice of the term
potential-oriented reflects the shifts in philosophy suggested by critical realism,
but also a sensitivity for how practitioners communicate and express themselves.Series: SRE - Discussion Papers
11
Poulymenakou, Angeliki. "A contingency approach to knowledge acquisition : critical factors for knowledge based systems development." Thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science (University of London), 1995. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.307773.
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Costello, Susan, and not supplied. "Crossing the borders: A critical approach to cross cultural social work education." RMIT University. Education, 2008. http://adt.lib.rmit.edu.au/adt/public/adt-VIT20090501.102211.
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This PhD by project outlines research conducted in 2007 on the Thai Burma border, introducing social work education to Burmese health and community workers. In addition to experiencing physical and social upheaval, workers have little access to general education or training in relation to their work with refugees and displaced people. A request from the director of a Refugee Health Clinic to provide social work education for local workers led to my research question: How do I develop and teach a culturally relevant, cross cultural, sustainable social work curriculum for Burmese health and community workers on the Thai Burma border? The project consists of a product: three manuals of curriculum developed on the border and written for use by future visitors or locally trained workers, and an exegesis: an exploration of the research, methodology and a detailed analysis of my product in the context of the literature. The exegesis is organised around three main themes. First is the intersection of social work education and international social work, with a critique of colonialist impositions of Western social work in developing Asian countries. This section considers what constitutes relevant social work and social work education in this context. The second theme examines the researcher's attempts to suspend her assumptions and create a learning exchange through culturally sensitive social relationships that acknowledge and scrutinize power relations within the Burma border context. The final theme raises questions of critical pedagogy. Key differences in beliefs about educational purpose and approaches can be identified between Asia and the Western world. The project employed adult learning principles and explored the challenges of teaching critical thinking. Based on a participatory action research model, the curriculum design process attempted to be collaborative, inclusive and recursive. As a corollary, the project created a community of practice that continues to meet and work together towards social justice for migrants on the border, concepts that were not known to the participants prior to the training program. The project aimed to connect international social work education to social work's core missions of emancipation, human rights and activism on the Thai Burma border. The themes are transferable to other sites of social work in the Asia-Pacific region where social development precedes the practice and teaching of social work.
13
Welch, Christine Elizabeth. "Embracing uncertainty : a critical systemic approach to innovation and development in organizational information systems." Thesis, University of Portsmouth, 2010. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.516154.
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The body of work presented here makes a contribution to critically-informed research on management of Information Systems in their organizational contexts. An interpretive stance is taken, recognizing that people create their own perspectives of `realities' in context, through sense-making processes that are unique to them. A research agenda within a distinctive approach of Critical Systemic Thinking is elaborated. This is based in phenomenology and focuses upon individual uniqueness as a legitimate sphere of inquiry. Critical Systemic inquiries do not seek to generalise from the particular, but to gain a richness and depth of understanding. This is intended to enhance the dimension of transparency, rather than clarity in reflections upon unique phenomena: relevance in understandings, rather than rigour. Critical Systemic inquiry provides support for exploration of contextual factors in the experience of particular individuals, without losing a holistic, open systems perspective on complex problem situations. This perspective is applied in order to explore and critique the ideas and values underpinning practice in the fields of Information Systems and Knowledge Management, and in particular IS strategies. Two alternative paradigms within which information Systems may be conceived are contrasted. The impact of uncertainty inherent in dynamic organizational environments is explored. In particular, ways in which individuals approach dealing with unstructured problem spaces are subjected to inquiry. An observed desire to simplify complex decision spaces is problematised in the discussion. The dangers inherent in breaking down such spaces are highlighted and an approach that embraces uncertainty is advocated instead, through exploration of specific learning cases. These cases are used to illustrate how paradoxical thinking can inhibit effective practice. It is suggested that problem spaces may best be resolved through creation of productive learning spirals, in which all engaged stakeholders are encouraged to participate. This work suggests that practice can be improved by giving greater recognition to individually-unique understandings of context held by different engaged stakeholders. Furthermore, approaches to decision-making that embrace uncertainty are suggested to be more effective than those that seek to simplify, ignoring the inherent complexities of organizational life. Difficulties in applying complex, open systems methods such as those described within constraints of time and resources are recognised. Suggestions for dealing with these challenges are put forward and illustrated, through identification of constitutive rules for Critical Systemic Thinking as a basis for evaluation.
14
Ashworth, C. J. "Organizational development, continuity and success in UK SME fashion e-retailing : a critical case approach." Thesis, Manchester Metropolitan University, 2008. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.489885.
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Retail in general and the fashion sector in particular have been slow to develop online despite the considerable opportunities and efficiencies offered by the marketspace. Sixty percent of established fashion stores are yet to move online (Herrod, 2007b) even though fashion products (clothing, footwear and accessories) are the third largest category sold over the internet. The case for smaller companies in this context remains unclear (Verdict, 2007). This research is therefore grounded in an era of conflict where retailing remains polarised between enterprises willing to 'embrace e-commerce for longer-term benefit' and those for whom cyber-operating 'is not seen as a desirable route to growth' (Reynolds, 2002: 530; Doherty ~nd Ellis-Chadwick, 2006). This thesis represents the first comprehensive exploration of the definitions and drivers of success for twenty-five independent SME fashion electronic retailers (SMEFEs) operating thirty-seven websites in the clothing, footwear and accessories sectors. Within this context this study also identifies the organizational development process and presents continuity strategies from a high-interest stakeholder (i.e. owner-manager/webmaster) perspective. Both first-movers and recent entrants into the marketspace enable a holistic view. The participating pure-players and clicks-and-mortars offer a rich, cumulative online retail experience-base equalling almost one-hundred and eighty years' online. The position of this thesis in relation to ontology and epistemology is that reality is socially constructed rather than objectively determined (Carson et aI., 2001). A qualitative critical-case approach exploring the online context of twenty-two successful cases with insight from three further devil's advocate ('not-yet-successful') enterprises is employed from a social constructionist perspective. Data is generated via in-depth interviews involving a combination of telephone and face-to-face methods. Findings are developed through thematic qualitative analysis and theoretical contributions are based on saturation ofdata. This research study asserts a contribution to knowledge on several levels: new synthesis of the literature; innovative methodology; and fresh findings which have enabled extension of the literature and new theory to be constructed and from this future research streams are considered. The findings have important implications to policy, practitioners and education.
15
Maslin, Zielfa Bayoneta. "An evaluation of the development of a critical and analytical approach to occupational therapy studies." Thesis, University of Sussex, 2007. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.479163.
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Plant, Malcolm. "Developing and evaluating a socially critical approach to environmental education at philosophical and methodological levels in higher education." Thesis, Nottingham Trent University, 2001. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.343537.
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Salikiryaki, Aleksandra, and Iliana Petrova. "Graphical Approach for Variability Management in Safety-Critical Product Lines." Thesis, Mälardalens högskola, Akademin för innovation, design och teknik, 2015. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:mdh:diva-28580.
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The number and complexity of the systems realizing the functionality of the machines in the automotive domain are growing. In this arises the need for a systematic way to manage their development. As the technologies advance, the vehicles introduce an increasing range of capabilities. However, they have similar functions, which have the potential to be reused. One of the widely used approaches that manages the commonality and variability of the development artifacts in a systematic manner is Product Line Engineering (PLE). Consequently, PLE reduces the time to market and the development cost. The machines, realized in the automotive domain, interact with their operators and the surrounding environment. Possible malfunctions of the machines may introduce a risk of accidents with fatal consequences. Therefore, the products should be analyzed, developed and managed in a safe manner and certified according to different relevant safety standards like ISO 15998, ISO 61508 and ISO 26262. There is a diversity of functions in a Product Line (PL). Some of them are mandatory for all machines and others are optional for some models. This gives the opportunity to combine the functions in multiple configurations. However, not all combinations are possible due to dependencies among the functions. Furthermore, the configurations should be valid from a safety perspective, and the developed products should satisfy the requirements identified during the safety analysis. The above mentioned factors emphasize the need for explicit representation of the systems' characteristics, such as commonality and variability, functional dependencies and quality attributes. The purpose of the current work is to find an efficient way to satisfy this need. The scope of our research is limited to the automotive domain. In order to gain familiarity with the state of practice, we collaborated with Volvo Construction Equipment (Volvo CE) as an industrial partner. In particular, we: conducted an informal interview study with the practitioners, analyzed the requirements management tool used in Volvo CE and studied products typical for the domain in detail, examined the deliverables defined in the related domain specific safety standards. We gained knowledge on how variability is managed in an industrial context today, which safety aspects need to be considered and how functional safety artifacts are managed with regards to variability. We synthesized the characteristics that are explicitly represented during the development and safety certification of the products in a safety-critical product line. We identified the challenges that the practitioners meet today and the areas that need to be improved. As a result, we formulated evaluation criteria for search and assessment of possible solutions. Subsequently we searched in the literature for different modeling techniques, that are able to respond to the industrial needs, and found the following to be relevant in our context: Feature modeling techniques consider the different variability types and dependencies among the features. Model-based development techniques can represent different views of the system on each level of the development process. Orthogonal modeling techniques extract the variability and dependencies in a different view. Furthermore, we evaluated the methods found during the literature study, based on the proposed criteria. We concluded that the examined techniques alone cannot represent all characteristics needed to support the development of a safety-critical product line, especially the impact of the variability on the safety and vice versa. However, each of them focuses on the presentation of certain aspect of the product line, which can help in building a more complete representation. Thus we focused on the approaches that may be extended and integrated into a complete solution. As a result, we propose a model and graphical notation for variability management in safety-critical product lines, which takes the identified industrial needs into account. The concept is depicted graphically by several model-based diagrams, which represent the different aspects of the product line, on each development level. Special attention is paid to the representation of the safety and variability aspects of the systems. The method is exemplified on an industrial example, in order to show how it achieves the defined goals.
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Kennedy, Sophie. "Infusing critical thinking into an employability skills program: The effectiveness of an immersion approach." Thesis, Edith Cowan University, Research Online, Perth, Western Australia, 2010. https://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses/140.
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The demands of the knowledge economy have placed renewed emphasis on graduate employability and the development of higher-order thinking skills. Preparing graduates for the workplace requires new instructional approaches to develop a matrix of interrelated skills. This study investigates an immersion approach to developing employability skills with emphasis on the infusion of critical thinking skills in an undergraduate business degree.
The research is situated within the pragmatic paradigm and comprises a mixed methods approach. Analyses of project instructions, student reflections and test scores are presented in an explanatory case study in three parts: the infusion of critical thinking skills in a program that targets employability, the process of critical thinking within a community of inquiry, and the performance of students in a standardised critical thinking skills test after completing the first year of the program.
The study shows critical thinking skills to be central to the development of employability skills in an immersion approach and that the project tasks engaged students in a critical thinking cycle. Analyses of test results show that participants in the program outperformed nonparticipants, but that not all participants improved their own performance. Participants from non-English-speaking backgrounds achieved lower means, but still outperformed nonparticipants. It was therefore found that participation in the program can improve student performance in a standardised test, but also that test scores in a standardised test may not be an ecologically valid indicator of critical thinking skills development in authentic learning environments following an immersion approach.
The study provides new insight into the infusion of critical thinking skills in an immersion approach and makes explicit a model for employability skills development that will enable business education to deliver graduates who can participate effectively in the workplace of the 21st.
century.
19
de, Merich Diego. "Empathy at the intersections of care : articulating a critical approach to the ethics of international development." Thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science (University of London), 2015. http://etheses.lse.ac.uk/1068/.
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With the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) set to expire in 2015, focus has turned to a new framework which might replace them. Heavily influenced by the Human Capabilities Approach (HCA), the MDGs reflected a relatively static, liberal understanding of what ‘human development’ is meant to signify (prioritising notions of freedom, individual capability and justice). Not an evaluation of the MDGs per se, this project suggests instead that critical reflection on the ethical underpinnings of any approach is key to articulating a future vision for development. I argue for a contrasting line of ethical thought, the ethics of care (which prioritise notions of context, vulnerability and relationship), suggesting how it could be more fully embodied in development practices. I further suggest that an emphasis on human empathy would serve to strengthen the values of responsibility and responsiveness which care (and development) ethicists champion. To this end, I first describe the ethical context (the HCA) within which the MDGs have operated; I then challenge its rationalistic or agentic biases and highlight the importance of human vulnerability, relationship and trust. I outline key elements of care theory (responsibility to ‘the other’, relational agency and ‘context’) and further argue that empathy should take a more central place in it. I finally describe empathy in practice (i.e. those programmes which foster empathic learning and understanding) and empathy in promise (by combining lessons drawn from the discussions above with deliberative democratic theory). Across these connected arguments, therefore, I describe a collaborative-expressive, praxeological ethics of international development; an ethics based in expressed need over abstract right, in the pluralism of development goals, in empathic deliberation on these needs and goals, and in the fostering of relationships of care and trust; necessary for any meaningful, future vision of human development – of ‘self’ and ‘distant other’ – to take form.
20
Peet, Jacqueline Stephanie. "Strengthening nursing surveillance in general wards: A practice development approach." Thesis, Queensland University of Technology, 2020. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/205383/1/Jacqueline_Peet_Thesis.pdf.
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This thesis evaluated an emancipatory practice development (ePD) approach to strengthening nursing surveillance on a single medical-surgical ward. A relationship was established, and a researcher embedded on a ward around a shared interest of strengthening nursing surveillance and patient safety. Ward engagement with ePD methods of critical reflection, holistic facilitation and active learning were supported through workplace workshops and the formation of an action learning set with a group of ward RNs. The ward travelled through a transformative and at time turbulent process of resistance and retreat towards a new learning culture where nursing surveillance is visible and valued.
21
Clarke, Stephen Allen. "Critical complementarism and information systems : a total systems approach to computer-based information systems strategy and development." Thesis, Brunel University, 1997. http://bura.brunel.ac.uk/handle/2438/4284.
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This thesis is about intervening in organisations to improve both operational and strategic computer-based information systems. It addresses a particular situation, in which human activity is seen to be a key factor in the success of the system. A stance is taken regarding current approaches to such development, supported by historical analysis of both the theory and practice of such approaches: in particular, the failure of traditional information systems development methodologies to address these situations is seen to question their validity. A review of existing theory and practice shows that computer-based information systems development appears to be dominated by functionalist, reductionist, engineering methods, marginally challenged by soft, interpretivist approaches. Analysis of the computer-based information systems development domain shows this to be an impoverished view, and indicates that an approach based on social systems is likely to be more representative of the problem situations faced. As a result, computer-based information systems development is taken beyond the 'hard-soft' debate, into a search for theoretical underpinning and practical approaches informed from social theory. However, whilst the theory is readily available, the application of that theory to computer-based information systems development is seen to be problematic. Potential improvement is achieved by the development of an interventionist framework which is based on a branch of social systems theory, that of critical social theory, and which draws heavily on work already undertaken in the domain of management science under the headings of critical systems thinking and total systems intervention. This framework is applied to two case studies and a major, longitudinal action research based investigation. The findings strongly support computer-based information systems development based on social, and especially critical social, theories. These findings are critiqued within the study, and from this emerge clear conclusions, and recommendations for future development.
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Tunc, Gulcin. "The Politics Of Local Economic Growth- A Critical Approach: The Case Of Manisa." Phd thesis, METU, 2010. http://etd.lib.metu.edu.tr/upload/12612382/index.pdf.
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The mainstream accounts on local growth politics, which generally conceptualize the current context around the globalization of investments and the prominent role of local entrepreneuralism, argue for the tendency towards local coalitions. In opposition, the main argument of the thesis is that an increasingly fragmented and conflictual local growth politics is the defining feature of the contemporary localities. Defining the current context around the increased involvement of the business actors in directing the path of local economic growth and of the local state institutions in entrepreneurial activities, it was shown in Manisa case that intra-local conflicts are likely to deepen under conditions of increased inter-urban competition.
By critically employing the concept of local dependence, it was shown that different local dependence factors result in the differentiation of the local actors&rsquopriorities and preferences with regard to the utilization of local resources. Thus, it is concluded that a common local interest is not possible and that conflicts and contentions (between different-fractions of capital and between local labor and capital) stemming from the existence of different local dependence factors mark the process of local growth politics. As a special dependence factor in terms of local politics, the generation of land-rent was identified to be a potential basis for local collaborations whereas it was also found out that such coalitions are likely to be temporary and open to political contention. On the other hand, the supra-local relations of actors, which are essential for the pursuasion of local interests, are observed to have a determinant effect on local conflicts.
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Njihia, James Muranga. "ICT for development reconsidered : a critical realist approach to the strategic context in Kenya's transition to e-governance." Thesis, University of Warwick, 2008. http://wrap.warwick.ac.uk/2234/.
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This study contributes to critical information systems research understanding of the broader strategic context of information systems initiatives in developing countries. It investigates contextual influences with structural impacts that may lead to instabilities and discontinuities in the immediate project context using a critical realist paradigm. It was informed by literature on development as discourse, ICT4D policy and technology transfer, E-Government adoption, and information systems research paradigms and applications in developing countries. A disconnection was observed between ICT4D policy practice that favors positivist technology diffusion models and research findings that suggest interpretive and critical contextual approaches. A theoretical framework was developed to reconsider ICT4D from a postcolonial country perspective by integrating critiques of modernity from Critical realism and postcolonial theory. An empirical case study investigation of change in Kenya‘s transition to E-Governance was then conducted and analyzed using a critical realist research framework, the Morphogenetic approach, supplemented by Q-methodology to study subjectivity. Finally ICT change was interpreted using critical realist concepts for structure, culture, and agency, with an overriding direction towards greater freedom. The main research contribution is a new approach to ICT4D where change is conceived within a dialectical framework that assumes people are moral and ethical beings possessing values. Research findings have implications for understanding the strategic context of E-Governance and ICT4D, time and temporality in contextual integrative frameworks, and suggest an alternative approach to strategy analysis in situations of rapid political and institutional change. They highlight the importance of political leaders and development agencies as mediators and interpreters of the strategic context. Development was conceived as a dialectical process towards transformative praxis, which together with the suggested approach to the strategic context, may require us to rethink the meaning of IS project success or failure in postcolonial developing countries.
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Dressler, Sandra. "Open innovation in the photonics industry : critical success factors and the development of an implementation approach for SMEs." Thesis, Glasgow Caledonian University, 2017. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.731704.
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Kumar, Sharan, University of Western Sydney, of Science Technology and Environment College, and School of Environment and Agriculture. "Filling the sinful stomach : a critical, systematic learning action research approach to food security in the eastern hills of Nepal." THESIS_CSTE_EAG_Kumar_S.xml, 2001. http://handle.uws.edu.au:8081/1959.7/210.
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This thesis is a documentation of the author's learning journey with the farmers, researchers and development agents in the eastern hills of Nepal.The purpose of the study was to find a solution to the problem of food security faced by the farmers in this area. The basic assumptions underpinning agricultural development in Nepal are that food security can be improved through the application of agricultural technologies and increasing production. The findings of this research question these assumptions.The study demonstrated that external changes which take place in the real world are connected to the internal changes which occur within the individuals and groups involved.An action research methodology was chosen to find alternative strategies to examine the current approaches to addressing the food security situation. The findings revealed three dimensions needing to be addressed to deal with food security at the farming household level. The fact that a collaborative partnership must be established between all the stakeholders involved in order to bring about improvements in the situation was revealed.This called for the conversion of 'experts' into 'co-partners' in the learning process. The learning journey showed that it is possible to initiate change, and the changes achieved indicate a huge potential for researchers and those interested in food security to make a real and lasting differenceDoctor of Philosophy (PhD)
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Serper, Alan. "An analytical critique, deconstruction, and dialectical transformation and development of the living educational theory approach." Thesis, University of Bath, 2010. https://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.526626.
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This thesis critically analyses, reconstructs and deconstructs the Living Educational Theory (LET) approach. It examines, challenges and modifies it, dialectically transforms it and offers a more suitable alternative to it. Whilst LET has not been well received in academia for two decades, this thesis is being written at a point in time when LET has greater recognition and influence. The thesis is composed of three parts. The first part examines and reconstructs the LET approach as a theoretical possibility and a practical methodological and heuristic approach. It introduces the LET approach and its key features, components, intentions and practices. It examines and interrelates the writings of the developers of that approach and its history and development. It also relates that approach to educational, action, reflective practice, practitioner and ontological research and the work and educational development of this author. The second part criticises, deconstructs and transforms the LET approach and proposes an alternative heuristic tool, solution and approach. It criticises the claim of living educational theorists that LET is an improved approach to the theorisation of a human existence and the educational, ontological, professional and epistemological development of practitioners. As well as criticising the new directions which the LET approach has recently taken, it introduces an alternative educational action research heuristic tool and approach that is based on self-dialectical reflective enquiry. The proposed alternative is based on creative and auto-phenomenological writing, self-dialectical and cathartic logging, public blogging and enquiring-within-writing logging into the question: how do I lead a more meaningful existence in the world for myself? It seeks to transform the LET approach into a deeper ontological, auto-phenomenological, and self-therapeutic auto-analysis, self-reevaluation and auto-empowerment. The third part concludes the thesis and reflects on my learning from my engagement with the LET approach and my hopes and intentions for the future.
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Wiman, Jacob. "Observing the Observers : A critical approach of problem representations in Policy of the EU EOM Final Reports." Thesis, Uppsala universitet, Statsvetenskapliga institutionen, 2020. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-429515.
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Balfour, Liezl. "Implementation and evaluation of a clinical pathway for non-invasive ventilation in critical care : a person-centred practice development approach." Thesis, University of Pretoria, 2020. http://hdl.handle.net/2263/79586.
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Introduction: Non-invasive ventilation (NIV) is an alternative method for
providing safe mechanical ventilatory assistance to adult patients
presenting with acute respiratory failure. Internationally the utilisation of
NIV has increased by 400% during the past decade. The clinical pathway
for NIV was collaboratively developed by the multidisciplinary team in the
critical care unit in 2012, but implementation into practice did not realise
as anticipated. As the burden of chronic disease rises in South Africa, the
healthcare system is under pressure to provide evidence-based and costeffective
care to more patients. Avoiding endotracheal intubation reduces
the patient’s risk of complications which lengthens the hospitalisation
period and the cost of hospitalisation. The utilisation of clinical pathways
in the South African context is limited.
Aim: The overall aim of the study was implementation and evaluation of
the outcomes of a person-centred clinical pathway for non-invasive
ventilation in the critical care unit.
Research methodology: Mixed method design through a personcentred
practice development approach utilising emancipatory action
research. Several data collection methods are used throughout the
phases of the study. A critical realist worldview was held which
incorporated the principles of a person-centred approach through
collaboration, inclusion and participation. The study was conducted in
three interdependent and interrelated phases. During Phase 1, the
culture of the critical care units was assessed using a validated 37-item
questionnaire to establish the perceptions of the critical care nurses
related to evidence implementation. A total of twenty-three registered
nurses participated. Additionally, the content of the clinical pathway was
adapted following a rigorous literature review in collaboration with the
internal facilitators and validated via a Delphi with critical care experts.
Phase 2 was dedicated to the collaborative development of an implementation strategy for the implementation of the clinical pathway in
the critical care unit. During Phase 3, the outcomes of the implementation
of the clinical pathway for NIV was evaluated.
Findings: The collaborative utilisation of a person-centred practice
development approach for the implementation and evaluation of the
clinical pathway for NIV, aided the researcher in identifying moral injury
amongst critical care nurses, which inhibits the implementation of
research evidence into practice.Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2020.
Nursing Science
PhD
Unrestricted
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Schafer, Kerstin Ann-Susann. "Application of mandatory rules in the private international law of contracts : a critical analysis of approaches in selected continental and common law jurisdictions, with a view to the development of South African law." Thesis, University of Cape Town, 2002. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/11036.
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Includes bibliographical referencesThis thesis is a comparative examination of the application of mandatory rules in the area of the private international law of contracts.] As will be seen during the course of this study, and as will be briefly noted in the following introductory remarks, this question arises in a number of situations. It prompts fundamental issues that have been debated for many years by academics all over the world. Some of the problems are still not fully settled.
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Porananond, Ploykaew. "A critical analysis of the prospects for the effective development of a regional approach to competition law in the ASEAN region." Thesis, University of Glasgow, 2016. http://theses.gla.ac.uk/7489/.
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This thesis is an examination of the ASEAN’s prospects in establishing regional competition policy in the Southeast Asia region, a topic of contemporary relevance in light of the ASEAN’s recent foray into the economic integration field on 31 December 2015. It questions whether the current approach undertaken by the ASEAN could contribute to an effective regional competition policy under the regional market integration. In answering this question, the thesis first critically surveys the current terrain of regional competition laws and policies in order to determine the possible existence of an optimal template. It argues that although the EU model is oft used as a source of inspiration, each regional organisation conceives different configurations of the model in order to best adjust to the local regional contexts. The thesis makes an inquiry into the narratives of the ASEAN’s competition policy, as well as the ASEAN’s specific considerations in the development of competition policy, before comparing the findings to the actual approaches taken by the ASEAN in its pursuit of regional competition policy. This thesis reveals that the actual approach taken by the ASEAN demonstrates an important discrepancy from the economic integration goal. The ASEAN applies a soft harmonisation approach regarding substantive competition law while refraining from establishing a centralised institution or a representative institution. The sole organ with regards to competition policy at the regional level is an expert organ. The thesis also conducts an investigation into the reception of the ASEAN’s regional policy by the member states in order to ascertain the possibility of the achievement of the ASEAN’s aspiration of regional competition policy. The study reveals that despite some shared similarities in the broad principles of competition law amongst the member states, the various competition law regimes are not harmonised thus creating challenging obstacle to the ASEAN’s ambition. The thesis then concludes that the ASEAN’s approach to regional competition law is unlikely to be effective.
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Löbl, David [Verfasser], Florian [Akademischer Betreuer] Holzapfel, Manfred [Gutachter] Hajek, and Florian [Gutachter] Holzapfel. "A Total Capability Approach for the Development of Safety-Critical Functions / David Löbl ; Gutachter: Manfred Hajek, Florian Holzapfel ; Betreuer: Florian Holzapfel." München : Universitätsbibliothek der TU München, 2018. http://d-nb.info/1163728675/34.
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Bentley, Yongmei. "A critical approach to the development of a framework to support the evaluation of information strategies in UK Higher Education Institutions." Thesis, University of Bedfordshire, 2005. http://hdl.handle.net/10547/581264.
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The objective of this thesis has been to develop a framework to support the evaluation of information strategies of UK higher education institutions (REIs). For this study the theoretical and empirical literature was extensively reviewed and four substantial pieces of empirical research were conducted. These included action research CAR), two pieces of ethnographic research, and a case study. The AR analysed problems encountered with a Student Records System at a UK university and identified both immediate and deeper causes for these problems. Ethnography I involved the researcher's participation in the information strategy development process at the same university: This included consideration of the development processes adopted and also the way that decisions were taken. Ethnography II consisted of participant observation at a range of workshops and conferences organised by the Joint Information Systems Committee on information strategy development at UK REIs. These provided a broad picture of information strategy development procedures being adopted across these HEls. The case study investigated in detail the implementation of an information strategy at a university different from that examined in AR and Ethnography I. These empirical investigations all included in-depth interviews. In total 117 people of various levels and backgrounds involved in information strategies and associated information systems within UK HEIs were interviewed. Key findings from the empirical research were: Many HEIs in the process of developing an information strategy, or about to do so, were not fully sure how this should be achieved nor the extent of the likely benefits. Most HEIs implementing information strategies were using top-down directed system approaches, leaving little room for more inclusive bottom-up emergent planning. Information strategies need to be developed and evaluated using strongly human-centred methods, primarily because it became apparent that the successful functioning of such a strategy is dependent on the motivation and competencies of the people who create and use the information. Investigations into aspects of information strategy development and implementation need to focus on people's perceptions of the situation rather than seeking an objective truth independent of the participants. This reflects a Kantian perspective of knowledge. Overall, the empirical findings supported the use of a Critical Systems Thinking approach in the evaluation of information strategies at higher education institutions. The development of the evaluative framework, the main objective of the thesis, took place in two phases: developing the framework based on the literature review and revising the framework from the empirical research investigations involving a process of critical iteration. The first phase identified a range of elements associated with an HErs information strategy, and for each element highlighted the relevant theoretical andlor empirical literature that bears on the issues being addressed. In particular, the framework is strongly influenced by insights drawn from the work of three key social theorists: Kant, Habermas and Foucault. In addition, the framework includes 'guidelines for evaluation', where these are more practical questions to ask and areas to investigate when evaluating a given element ofthe strategy. The second phase took the framework through a series of reflections and revisions based on the findings from the empirical investigations. In each case, insights were gained that related to the use or applicability ofthe framework. By combining the findings from the theoretical and empirical literature with those from the empirical research, the final framework, which is believed to have filled a gap in the theoretical literature, aims to encompass the complexity of information strategy development and implementation within HEIs. The framework reflects a human-centred and Critical Systems Thinking approach, and is designed to allow potential evaluators to identify underlying causes for the success or failure of an information strategy that is implemented at an HEI.
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Gibbs, Alexis P. S. "A critical study of international higher education development : capital, capability, and a dialogical proposal for academic freedom as a responsibility." Thesis, University of Stirling, 2013. http://hdl.handle.net/1893/20054.
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This thesis sets out to critically examine the field of higher education development, as one which is focused on socio-economic inequality and welfare, and determines educational purpose in poorer, or ‘developing’, countries accordingly. My question is whether mainstream development approaches to higher education are really contributing to the provision of more equal education services, or whether they risk reintroducing inequality by treating the priorities of poorer countries differently. To investigate whether there are educational values or purposes common to universities globally irrespective of socio-economic imperatives, I begin the study with a historiographical look at their growth in terms of both ideas of its purpose, and how purpose is realised in actuality. I then trace the emergence of the discourse of international development, and the role that higher education has come to play within it, showing how the field of international higher education development has simplified the notion of university purpose for its own devices. The thesis then looks at underlying assumptions about human nature, defined as the problem of humanism, common to both transcendent ideas of university purpose as well as the development discourse. To avoid the limitations of these assumptions, I argue that a theoretical approach is required that can engage with questions of hybridity and multiplicity in both the history and future of universities, without reducing those questions to abstract ideas. The approach I propose draws upon the dialogism of Mikhail Bakhtin, whose multi-layered understanding of language prevents any one understanding of another person, or of human nature more generally, being considered final. The educational implications for such an approach are finally explored in the concept of academic freedom, which is traditionally conceived of as a right, but is here reconceptualised also as a responsibility.
34
KC, Sharan Kumar. ""Filling the sinful stomach" : a critical, systemic learning action research approach to food security in the eastern hills of Nepal /." View thesis View thesis, 2001. http://library.uws.edu.au/adt-NUWS/public/adt-NUWS20030414.142817/index.html.
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Thesis (Ph.D.) -- University of Western Sydney, Hawkesbury, 2001.A thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy of the University of Western Sydney, Hawkesbury, February, 2001. Bibliography : leaves 296-314.
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Eriksson, Evelina. "A Structural Development Trap? : A Critical Analysis of the Idea of a ‘Universal, Rules-Based, Open, Non-Discriminatory, and Equitable Multilateral Trading System’." Thesis, Uppsala universitet, Teologiska institutionen, 2021. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-443671.
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Human rights advocates have expressed their concern about the marginalisation of human rights principles and the actual or potential human rights implications of WTO agreements. The international economic law and human rights law have been developed as two parallel regimes, yet trade and economics have been at the centre of most developing agendas in modern time. There has been a persistent desire to achieve a universal multilateral trading system by both Global North and Global South. The Agenda 2030 is not an exception to emphasise the importance of such a trading system as one of its targets calls for a ‘universal, rules-based, open, non-discriminatory, and equitable multilateral trading system’. Furthermore, the desired multilateral trading system is presumed to facilitate other development goals of the Agenda. Although peoples’ living standards are increasing worldwide, substantial inequalities remain between and within countries. If we only focus on legal rights and freedoms, people may live on the verge of an adequate standard of living and are thus not able to improve one’s well-being beyond that and lead the life one has reason to value. Hence, this study aims to go beyond the legislative protection of human rights by applying Amartya Sen’s capability approach which focuses on the ethical notion of human rights. Additionally, the approach focuses on the expansion of peoples’ capabilities and freedoms to achieve what one value doing and being. If a universal multilateral trading system is assumed to be beneficial for trade, economy, and to achieve development goals, will the outcomes of such system be beneficial for all peoples’ capabilities to lead the lives they have reason to value? The main findings of this study suggest that the political economy of world trade facilitates a subordination of countries in which some are benefitted, while others are stuck with the production of goods associated with low wages and unhealthy work conditions. This may affect the distribution of intergenerational equity and sustainability, affecting capabilities of many generations to come. One significant conclusion of this study is that legislative protection of human rights is not enough to target detrimental structures and to ensure everyone the kind of life and living standards one has reason to value.
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Thaller, de Zarate Celina. "Silent waters – Diving beyond the resource nexus : A critical case study of clothing brands on water sustainability issues." Thesis, Uppsala universitet, Institutionen för geovetenskaper, 2020. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-419420.
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The clothing industry can be linked to problematic issues of social equity and environmental sustainability worldwide. This is manifested in the every-day consumer behavior of industrialized societies, which heavily relies on geographically distant labor and resources. Therefore, this thesis looked at the interconnection of social equity and environmental sustainability from a nexus perspective. Nexus approaches are increasingly defining the pathway to sustainable development, yet they typically represent resource-efficient and technological solutions. This form of problematizing water sustainability can keep long-term societal justice problems ‘beneath the surface’, meaning that they are less considered. The WPR approach was used as an analysis tool to understand underlying implications of water sustainability problematizations in the clothing industry. An embedded single case study on the Sweden Textile Water Initiative (STWI) was conducted, which included and integrated literature review, brand document analysis and semi-structured interviews. The initiative’s goal is to help clothing brands to address water sustainability issues along the supply chain. The results show that water sustainability stands in connection to four overarching themes; environmental issues, economic issues, technological issues and socio-political issues. There is a consensus in the literature and amongst the industry representatives that the problems connected to water sustainability in the clothing industry mainly occur on factory level in producing countries. Additionally, the results show that brands have difficulties to act on their responsibility as strong influencers of the supply chain if there is not a business case. Overall this thesis concludes that the classical nexus approach is not a sufficient solution to water sustainability issues if resources make up the center of analysis and social implications are only considered secondary effects.
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Pettitt, Brad. "Still trying to save the world?: A critical analysis of the approach of Oxfam Community Aid Abroad to the challenge of international development." Thesis, Pettitt, Brad (2002) Still trying to save the world?: A critical analysis of the approach of Oxfam Community Aid Abroad to the challenge of international development. PhD thesis, Murdoch University, 2002. https://researchrepository.murdoch.edu.au/id/eprint/51201/.
Full textAbstract:
Community Aid Abroad, now called Oxfam Community Aid Abroad (OCAA), is an Australian-based development NGO which has been pursuing international development for almost 50 years. Yet, as it approaches its 50th birthday, the practical and philosophical challenges facing it and other development NGOs are more complex and daunting than they have ever been. The purpose of this thesis is to contribute to a process of sustained reflection by OCAA practitioners on the purpose and philosophical basis of development in an increasingly globalised world. Its particular focus is the questioning of the Enlightenment framework that underlies the development project. This questioning arises out of the multi-dimensional crises of modernisation: deepening inequality. environmental unsustainability, cultural conflict, and opposition to Western concepts of human rights. Its central theme is that whilst OCAA should continue to work for human rights, sustainability and community development, it should do so within a post-Enlightenment framework. The critical stance of this framework would furnish OCAA with the resources it requires to constructively address the challenges of modernity.
Following a brief overview of OCAA's development agenda over the past decade, a review of the wider debates over the idea of development, from postwar 'modernisation theory' to concepts of 'post-development' is presented. The dominant philosophical debates concerning the Enlightenment project, which underpin development debates, are then outlined. The second part of the thesis explores what a more critical 'post- Enlightenment' philosophical vision would entail for OCAA's development agenda, specifically in relation to human rights. environment, advocacy and globalisation. It concludes with the hope that OCAA will continue 'trying to save the world', yet that it will also reflect more deeply and critically about the philosophical foundations of development. Hopefully this thesis will help to encourage both OCAA's development practice and processes of critical reflection.
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Oliveira, André Luiz de. "A model-based approach to support the systematic reuse and generation of safety artefacts in safety-critical software product line engineering." Universidade de São Paulo, 2016. http://www.teses.usp.br/teses/disponiveis/55/55134/tde-22112016-161607/.
Full textAbstract:
Software Product Line Engineering (SPLE) has been proven to reduce development and maintenance costs, improving the time-to-market, and increasing the quality of product variants developed from a product family via systematic reuse of its core assets. SPLE has been successfully used in the development of safety-critical systems, especially in automotive and aerospace domains. Safety-critical systems have to be developed according to safety standards, which demands safety analysis, Fault Tree Analysis (FTA), and assurance cases safety engineering artefacts. However, performing safety analysis, FTA, and assurance case construction activities from scratch and manually for each product variant is time-consuming and error-prone, whereas variability in safety engineering artefacts can be automatically managed with the support of variant management techniques. As safety is context-dependent, context and design variation directly impact in the safety properties changing hazards, their causes, the risks posed by these hazards to system safety, risk mitigation measures, and FTA results. Therefore, managing variability in safety artefacts from different levels of abstraction increases the complexity of the variability model, even with the support of variant management techniques. To achieve an effective balance between benefits and complexity in adopting an SPLE approach for safety-critical systems it is necessary to distinguish between reusable safety artefacts, whose variability should be managed, and those that should be generated from the reused safety artefacts. On the other hand, both industry and safety standards have recognized the use of model-based techniques to support safety analysis and assurance cases. Compositional safety analysis, design optimization, and model-based assurance cases are examples of techniques that have been used to support the generation of safety artefacts required to achieve safety certification. This thesis aims to propose a model-based approach that integrates model-based development, compositional safety analysis, and variant management techniques to support the systematic reuse and generation of safety artefacts in safety-critical software product line engineering. The approach contributes to reduce the effort and costs of performing safety analysis and assessment for a particular product variant, since such analysis is performed from the reused safety artefacts. Thus, variant-specific fault trees, Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA), and assurance case artefacts required to achieve safety certification can be automatically generated with the support the model-based safety analysis and assurance case construction techniques.Engenharia de Linha de Produtos de Software (ELPS) contribui para a redução dos custos de desenvolvimento e de manutenção, a melhoria do time-to-market, e o aumento da qualidade de produtos desenvolvidos a partir de uma família de produtos por meio do reuso sistemático dos ativos principais da linha de produtos. A ELPS vem sendo utilizada com sucesso no desenvolvimento de sistemas embarcados críticos, especificamente nos domínios de sistemas automotivos e aeroespaciais. Sistemas embarcados críticos devem ser desenvolvidos de acordo com os requisitos definidos em padrões de segurança, que demandam a produção de artefatos de análise de segurança, árvores de falhas e casos de segurança. Entretanto, a realização de atividades de análise de segurança, análise de árvores de falhas e construção de casos de segurança de forma manual para cada produto de uma linha de produtos é uma tarefa demorada e propensa a erros. O gerenciamento de variabilidade em artefatos de análise de segurança pode ser automatizado com o apoio de técnicas de gerenciamento de variabilidades. Em virtude de safety ser uma propriedade dependente de contexto, a variabilidade no projeto e contexto inerente uma linha de produtos software impacta na definição de propriedades de segurança do sistema, modificando as ameaças à segurança do sistema, suas causas e riscos, medidas de mitigação aplicáveis, e resultados de análise de árvore de falhas. Dessa forma, gerenciar variabilidades em artefatos relacionados à safety em diferentes níveis de abstração aumenta a complexidade do modelo de variabilidade mesmo com o apoio de técnicas de gerenciamento de variabilidades. Para alcançar o equilíbrio eficaz entre os benefícios e a complexidade da adoção de uma abordagem de ELPS para o desenvolvimento de sistemas embarcados críticos é necessário fazer a distinção entre artefatos de safety reusáveis, em que a variabilidade deve ser gerenciada, e artefatos de safety que devem ser gerados a partir de artefatos reusáveis. Por outro lado, tanto a indústria quanto os padrões de segurança têm reconhecido o uso de técnicas dirigidas a modelos para apoiar a análise segurança e a construção de casos de segurança. Técnicas de análise de segurança composicional e otimização de projeto, e de construção de casos de segurança dirigido a modelos vêm sendo utilizadas para apoiar a geração de artefatos de safety requeridos para certificação. O objetivo desta tese é a proposta de uma abordagem dirigida a modelos que integra técnicas de desenvolvimento dirigido a modelos, análise de segurança composicional e otimização de projeto, e construção de casos de segurança dirigido a modelos para apoiar o reuso sistemático e a geração de artefatos de safety em engenharia de linhas de produtos de sistemas embarcados críticos. A abordagem proposta reduz o esforço e os custos de análise e avaliação de segurança para produtos de uma linha de produtos, uma vez que tal análise é realizada a partir de artefatos de safety reusados. Assim, artefatos como análises de árvores de falhas e de modos de falha e efeitos, e casos de segurança requeridos para certificação podem ser gerados automaticamente com o apoio de técnicas dirigidas a modelos.
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van, Gerwen Melissa. "A voice of water : An exploration of storytelling and co-created speculative design to approach a representation of water in the urban development of Slussen, Stockholm." Thesis, KTH, Urbana och regionala studier, 2021. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-298525.
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The current communicative planning paradigm appears to lack the ability to include the voices of the voiceless and is stuck in practices that continue to confirm the status-quo through technocratic quick fixes, which do not solve underlying problems causing climate change. This thesis is an exploration of how two unconventional methods, storytelling and co-created speculative design, can contribute to a change in paradigm, specifically improve the inclusiveness of coproduction, where nonhumans are involved in the decision-making processes. This thesis takes the reader on a journey through the embodiment of water in Slussen, by an analysis of semi-structured interviews and a critical discourse, a story from the perspective of water with the title Suorssá, and two alternative designs of Slussen if water were in charge. The applied lense in this thesis is a combination of Latour’s perspective on actants, Bell’s studies of the future, storytelling, critical utopianism, and ecocentrism. The methods and lense are embedded in a case study of water in Slussen, which is a major urban development in Sweden where water plays a considerable role. Through this journey an alternative perspective is attempted to be shared with the participants and an increasing openness towards ecocentrism, where all organisms on the planet have an intrinsic value irrespective of humans, is created. The results suggest that a truly inclusive planning paradigm, especially for megaprojects like Slussen, seems to be a utopian thought. Nonetheless, storytelling and co-created speculative designs turn out to be an effective step towards realizing this vision.
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Eagle, Simon. "Approaches to globalisation : a critical evaluation." Thesis, University of Southampton, 1998. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.245735.
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Floriani, Irene Claudia. "Statistical approaches to interim analysis a critical approach." Thesis, Open University, 2005. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.421960.
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Martin-Mazé, Médéric. "Le gouvernement international des frontières d’Asie centrale." Thesis, Paris, Institut d'études politiques, 2013. http://www.theses.fr/2013IEPP0050.
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Le gouvernement international des frontières d’Asie centrale (Kirghizstan, Tadjikistan, Ouzbékistan, Kazakhstan, Turkménistan) comprend les projets de gestion des frontières conduits par l’OSCE, la Commission européenne, l’ONUDC et l’OIM entre 1992 et 2012. Ils organisent l’import/export d’une expertise alignant les limites étatiques dans cette région sur un double impératif de mobilité et de sécurité. Comment ces savoirs sur la frontière circulent-ils à travers ces dernières ? Les projets passent par trois univers distincts. Ils prennent attache sur les sociétés centrasiatiques aux intersections entre flux et contrôle. Les équipements qu’ils fournissent n’encadrent toutefois les pratiques de vérification que dans une mesure très variable. Ces investissements sont décidés dans des comités de pilotage situés dans un microcosme qu’on appelle le champ d’opérations. Cet espace se configure selon un capital dont le volume décrit l’autonomie des opérateurs, et dont la structure signale leur niveau de spécialisation dans les mondes du développement et de la sécurité. Sa structure sanctionne positivement les acteurs qui accumulent la plus grande quantité de capital social. Les enceintes d’autorisation sont quant à elles encastrées dans un espace transnational gravitant autour de Bruxelles et de Vienne. Tandis que l’Asie centrale est construite comme un enjeu d’intérêt secondaire au sein du champ de l’Eurocratie, les acteurs de la place viennoise lui accordent une importance plus grande. Les élites transnationales les plus subalternes sont incitées à s’établir dans cette zone de relégation, car elles peuvent plus facilement y rétablir leurs positions respectivesThe international government of Central Asian Borders (Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan) refers to projects in the field of border management that have been implemented by the OSCE, the European Commission, the UNODC and IOM between 1992 and 2012. These activities import and export a type of expertise aimed at bringing state boundaries in line with an imperative of mobility and security. But how does this border knowledge circulate across borders in the first place? During their life cycle, projects go through three different social universes. Firstly, they connect with Central Asian societies where control and flows intersect. They provide some equipment which only frames checks and controls to some extent. The steering committees deciding over these investments are embedded in a particular social universe that we call the field of operation. This second space is configured according to a capital whose volume corresponds to the level of autonomy that each implementing agency holds, and whose structure refers to their specialization in development and/or security. The practical logic of this field positively sanctions the accumulation of social capital by individual brokers. The authorization-giving arenas, finally, are situated in a transnational space polarized around Brussels and Vienna. Whilst Central Asia is constructed as a place of secondary interest within the field of Eurocracy, actors working from Vienna perceive this region as a more important issue. Subaltern transnational elites tend establish themselves in such unattractive areas because they gain leeway where they can re-establish themselves as important players from there
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Copsey, Scott Laurence. "The development and implementation processes of a travel plan within the context of a large organisation : using an embedded case study approach." Thesis, University of Hertfordshire, 2013. http://hdl.handle.net/2299/10331.
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Transport Policy in the United Kingdom from the 1950s to the early 1990s has been focused on increasing car use at the expense of investment in public transport services and infrastructure. This has culminated in a poorly integrated public transport network that has seen continued decline in use outside of London. The Competition Act (1998) has exacerbated this, as public operators risked prosecution if they were seen to collaborate. A policy shift in 1998 introduced the concept of Local Transport Plans, Organisational Travel Plans and Quality Partnerships as local policy tools for developing and implementing travel solutions using the planning process. Travel Plans today are viewed by the UK Government as a local delivery tool for transport policy, inspired by the successes in Europe and the United States in changing individual travel behaviour, where the Smart Growth Agenda has emerged as a mass transit based planning response to urban sprawl. In the UK, success in delivering significant modal shift away from private car use has seen limited success, hence the rationale for this research. Using this wider policy context, this research uses the University of Hertfordshire as a case study with the objective to research the development and implementation processes of a Travel Plan. The research conducts a review of travel behaviour within the case study, providing recommendations for implementing alternative interventions to car-based travel. Making use of national policy tools, using insights from both Smarter Travel / Smarter Choice agenda, the research includes the development process of a complex city wide Quality Partnership – a delivery mechanism for travel behaviour change incorporating multiple stakeholders. This thesis uses an embedded and reflective critical realist approach to researching Travel Plans from the perspective of a Travel Plan Coordinator. Through applying a multi-method dimension to empirical data collection, the use of structured quantitative commuter surveys, semi structured qualitative interviews and supporting secondary data sources are all utilised. Using such an approach provides the research with the flexibility for reporting complex social and empirical data, including the researcher’s embedded reflective insights throughout the process. An evaluative matrix ‘lens’ has been developed for reporting back the multitude of factors, including identifying Critical Success Factors and Key Performance Indicators that underpin the success or failure of such travel planning approaches. The research culminates in the development of a Travel Plan for the University of Hertfordshire and a voluntary Quality Partnership for the City and District of St Albans. A conclusion is drawn based on the unique perspective of an embedded reflective researcher as an active practitioner in the field of travel planning. In order to be successful a Travel Plan should feed into the wider quality partnership structures for mutual benefit where multiple stakeholders are able to influence the development of interventions at the local level, which could lead to significant travel behaviour changes. It is argued that this will ultimately help Travel Plans and quality partnerships achieve their key performance objectives and help meet government policy agenda.
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Cheung, Yu-kit, and 張宇傑. "A critical study of Frederick Tsai's approaches to translation." Thesis, The University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong), 2011. http://hub.hku.hk/bib/B45870834.
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Gustin, Melissa L. "Eating the lotus : new critical approaches to neoclassical sculpture." Thesis, University of York, 2018. http://etheses.whiterose.ac.uk/20534/.
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This dissertation uses object-based case studies to explore how works by Emma Stebbins and Harriet Hosmer—and by extension, the broader field of American neoclassical sculptors—were influenced by the complex visual and historical field of Rome, 1852–1878. This project models different ways of reading and responding to sculptures which are complex works of classical translation, reference, and response, through an object-first and experience-based approach. I discuss four sculptures in three case studies: Hosmer’s Daphne and Medusa (1853, 1853/4), Stebbins’s The Lotus-Eater (1857/60), and Hosmer’s Pompeian Sentinel (1876/8). These case studies have been chosen for their rich, multivalent relationships to previous artistic models, texts, and visual spaces in Rome (both the modern city and the ancient empire). I bring together methodological and critical approaches that have not been previously used for American neoclassical scholarship, especially Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick’s definition of ‘camp’ and weak theory. I utilize literary models of classical reception, allusion, and intertext, theories of objects in relation to time and to other objects, ecological models, and archaeological theories. My object-first approach draws heavily on first-hand observation of sites in Rome and its surrounding areas, especially Pompeii. Within this thesis, I emphasize this first-hand experience along with the importance of travel to these sites as part of my research method through the strategic use of the first person and an emphasis on the intellectual, emotional responses to sites that I had. This reinforces my dissertation’s aim of enlivening the scholarly discourse around neoclassical scholarship as well as engaging in academic honesty, rather than upholding a dispassionate empiricism that does not reflect the methodological and critical approach of this project. These will be theoretically rich, chronologically complex, and emotionally engaged readings of these works, that embrace the multivalent, anachronic potentials of neoclassical sculpture.
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Ip, B. "Analytical approaches to games development." Thesis, Swansea University, 2003. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.637372.
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This thesis examines the application of various analytical approaches to video- and computer-games development. The review of relevant literature reveals a paucity of rigorous research with respect to the development of games, and indeed to the entire games industry. The thesis thus highlights the problems associated with the development of good-quality gameplay, the identification of various types of gamer, and the management and planning of the game-development process. A detailed survey concerned with some of the salient issues related to the games industry was conducted. Taking the results of this survey on board, the investigation focuses on the practical application of established management methodologies, and how these can be used to facilitate a reliable and systematic approach to the games development, especially by directly linking what customers say they want in a product to games development through quality function deployment. Further analytical procedures, such as conventional statistical tests, consumer segmentation, and the analytic hierarchy process, have been applied in. order to enhance the range and utility of the investigation. The resulting information can be used by decision-makers in the games industry to plan, structure and manage games projects.
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Шкодкіна, Юлія Михайлівна, Юлия Михайловна Шкодкина, and Yuliia Mykhailivna Shkodkina. "Approaches to sustainable development attainment." Thesis, Видавництво СумДУ, 2012. http://essuir.sumdu.edu.ua/handle/123456789/26781.
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Wolfe, Neal Clayton. "Pedagogies for the imagination, critical approaches to 'world issues' curriculum." Thesis, National Library of Canada = Bibliothèque nationale du Canada, 2000. http://www.collectionscanada.ca/obj/s4/f2/dsk1/tape3/PQDD_0013/MQ53037.pdf.
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Miller, Ann. "Contemporary bande dessineÌe : contexts, critical approaches and case studies." Thesis, University of Newcastle Upon Tyne, 2003. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.401834.
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Karassellos, Michael Anthony. "Critical approaches to Soweto poetry : dilemmas in an emergent literature." Master's thesis, University of Cape Town, 1989. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/18830.
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A review of contemporary South African and European critical approaches 'to "Soweto poetry" is undertaken to evaluate their efficacy in addressing the diverse and complex dynamics evident in the poetry. A wide selection of poetry from the 1970's and early 1980's is used to argue that none of the critical models provide an adequate methodology free from both pseudo-cultural or ideological assumptions, and "reader-grid"(imposition of external categories upon the poems).From this point of entry, three groups of critics with similar approaches are assessed in relation to Soweto poetry. The second chapter illustrates the deficiency in critical method- ology of the first group of critics, who rely on a politicizing approach. Their critique presupposes a coherent shift in the nature of Black Consciousness poetry in the 1970's, which is shown to be vague and problematic, especially when they attempt to categorize Soweto poetry into "consistently thematic" divisions. In the third chapter, it is argued that ideological approaches to Soweto poetry are impressionistic assessments that depend heavily on the subordination of aesthetic determinants to materialistic concerns. The critics in this second group draw a dubious distinction between bourgeois and "worker poetry" and ignore the inter- play between the two styles. Pluralized mergings within other epistemological spectrums are also ignored, showing an obsessive materialist bias. The fourth chapter examines the linguistic approach of the third group of critics. It is argued that they evaluate the poetry in terms of a defined critical terminology which assumes an established set of evaluative criteria exist. This is seen to be empiricist and deficient in wider social concerns. In the final chapter, it is submitted that each of the critical approaches examined foregrounds its own methodology, often ignoring the cohabitation of different systems of thought. In conclusion it is argued that a critical approach can only aspire to the formulation of a "black aesthetic" if it traces the mosaic of cultural borrowings, detours and connections that permeate Soweto poetry. Michel Serres, with his post-deconstructionist "approach", is presented as the closest aspirant. Bibliography: pages 117-123.